


Prince(ss) Lucina

by greenwithirony



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F, Genderfluid Lucina, Implied Chrobin, Other, other characters will make appearances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-27 05:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9973529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenwithirony/pseuds/greenwithirony
Summary: A long-term disguise is a good opportunity to reinvent yourself.





	1. Metamorphosis

How were you supposed to prepare to go back in time? Severa certainly didn’t know. She could still hardly believe it was happening– it had only really started to sink in when Lucina had approached her and asked if Severa would cut her hair.

That was certainly one way of preparing.

Lucina had said earlier that it would be best if her parents didn’t know who she was, and Severa assumed this had something to do with that. Although, considering that Lucina hadn’t been born yet in the past they were going to and her parents had no idea what she looked like, altering her appearance wouldn’t make much difference in whether they recognized her or not. Severa decided not to point this out. It didn’t really matter, and Lucina had been insistent.

“So, how short do you want it?”

“Um…” Lucina fidgeted slightly in her seat. “Short?”

Severa rolled her eyes. “That’s not very specific. Shoulder length? Chin length? Or shorter than that, and layered?”

Lucina hesitated a moment. “A bit shorter than chin length, and layered.”

“Alright. Any other specific requests?”

“No, you can go ahead. I trust you.” Lucina sat up straighter, squaring her shoulders.

Severa was tempted to roll her eyes again. Did Lucina have to be so dramatic about everything? “I’ll go slowly. Stop me if I start doing something you don’t want.”

The only scissors Severa had been able to find were surgical scissors, usually used for cutting bandages and thread for stitches. It wasn’t ideal, but you couldn’t be picky when the world was ending.

Lucina stayed very still the whole time Severa was cutting her hair. Severa wondered if she had any doubts about what they were going to do. Lucina had seemed very confident when she explained the plan to go back in time, but Severa knew how good she was at putting on a brave face.

“There. I’m done.” Severa took a step back and surveyed her work critically. “Wait…” She made a few more careful snips. “Now I’m done. Is this what you had in mind?”

Lucina turned to face Severa and slowly ran a hand through her newly shorn hair. “To be perfectly honest, I didn’t have something specific in mind. I certainly like how it feels though. Thank you, Severa.”

Severa nodded, giving Lucina a strangely intense look.

“…Severa?”

Severa turned away hurriedly. “Nothing. It doesn’t look bad either.” She busied herself with cleaning off the scissors and putting them back in the medical kit where she’d found them.

“I plan on using a different name. In the past.” Lucina said quietly.

Severa had expected as much. “What name?”

“Marth.”

Severa turned back around to face Lucina, who was looking at her steadily, although Severa thought she detected a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

 _Marth._ The Hero-King. Lucina had talked about him in detail before, otherwise Severa wouldn’t have recognized the name. He’d saved the world, as they were trying to do now. He must’ve been a great leader, inspiring faith and loyalty in his comrades, just as Lucina did. It was certainly fitting. “Marth. It suits you.”

Lucina— Marth— smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole thing with Lucina somehow tying her hair back for the Marth disguise so that it looked short but wasn’t actually is pretty silly to me. It would’ve made a lot more sense for her to have just cut it, and if IntSys wanted Lucina’s hair long for the rest of the game, that two year time skip is plenty of time to grow it out. But I digress.


	2. Marth makes a friend

The first night in the past, Marth didn’t get much sleep. He ended up sleeping in a barn, but that really wasn’t all that bad- the straw was a little scratchy, but it provided adequate cushioning. Rather, it was his thoughts that kept him awake.

He’d seen his parents and Aunt Lissa and Frederick again, and couldn’t get their strangely youthful faces out of his head. It had been so long since he’d seen them, and even longer since he’d seen them _smiling_. He tried not to think about what would’ve happened if he hadn’t gotten to Aunt Lissa before the Risen did, and went over his plans to stop Aunt Emm’s and father’s assassins instead. He’d been over the details hundreds of times, but there were too many things that could go wrong.

Marth’s last thoughts before finally drifting off were of his friends. Naga had warned them that it was likely that they would be split apart, and they’d prepared for it, but he’d still been dismayed when it had happened. He hoped they were all well, and sleeping better than he was.

* * *

 “Hey!”

Marth distantly heard a voice and felt a hand on his shoulder shaking him roughly. He groaned and cracked his eyes open.

There was a girl about ten years old with curly black hair staring down at him.

“You’re alive! What’re you doing in our barn?”

“Sorry. I’ll leave.” Marth started to rub his eyes, then stopped abruptly when he realized he wasn’t wearing his mask and didn’t know where it was. He frantically turned to the pile of straw underneath him and started digging through it.

“Did you lose something?”

Marth jumped when he heard the girl’s voice right next to his ear. “Yes… oh, here it is.” The mask was a short distance away, partially covered by straw. He picked it up and brushed it off carefully, pointedly avoiding making eye contact with the girl, embarrassed by his earlier panic.

“That’s a pretty mask!”

Marth looked up. “Thank you. A friend made it for me.”

Now the girl was staring directly at Marth’s face. He turned away hurriedly, suddenly paranoid she would see the brand in his eye and know he was a member of the exalted family.

“Are you a prince?”

“N-no, of course not!” Marth stood up and tried unsuccessfully to brush the straw off his clothes. “I should really be going…” he mumbled.

The girl blinked. “Oh. I just thought you might be a prince because of your crown thing.”

“Oh, right.” So she hadn’t seen the brand. “Well, I’m not.” Marth felt bad lying, but telling the truth in this situation would do more harm than good. “I have to go now. Before I do, may I have your name?”

“I’m Isabelle! What’s your name?”

“Marth. Thank you, Isabelle, for letting me use your barn. Even though I didn’t ask permission.” He smiled ruefully.

Isabelle grinned back. “You know, Marth, even if you’re not a prince, you talk like one. All polite and chivalrous and stuff.”

Marth chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Goodbye, Isabelle. It was nice meeting you.”

“Bye, Marth! Good luck with your travels and whatever you’re doing!” Isabelle said, waving cheerily.

Marth gave a short wave back before pushing the barn door open. Good luck indeed. He was going to need all the luck he could get.


	3. Insecurity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after all the future kids have joined Chrom’s army.

Lucina was staring off into space and sighing _again_. How many times had Severa caught her doing that today? Three? Four? Twenty? It was a lot. Something was obviously wrong.

“Lucina, has something been bothering you?” Severa asked pointedly.

Lucina blinked. “…No. What makes you think that?”

“You’ve been spacing out a lot. You keep staring off into the distance and frowning.”

“That’s nothing unusual, is it? I think we all have a lot to think about.”

“Yes, but you’ve been doing it even more than usual. You seem distracted during training and meetings too, which is not normal for you.” Severa folded her arms across her chest and gave Lucina a knowing look.

“Are you worried about me, Severa?” Lucina smiled teasingly.

Severa turned pink and looked away. “Yes, you dolt! Don’t change the subject.”

Lucina sighed. “I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Yes. I do.” Lucina ran a hand through her hair. “I just… need some time to think about this. I could be making it all up, and then there wouldn’t even be anything to tell you.”

Severa raised an eyebrow. “Okay. But, if this is distracting you so much, I don’t think you’re making it up. You’re too practical for that.”

“Thank you, Severa.”

Severa’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “I didn’t really do anything.”

“You just have a knack for making me feel better.”

* * *

Severa clicked her tongue impatiently and scowled. “Whoever is on guard duty next is late.”

Lucina tore her eyes away from the sky to look at Severa, who was now tapping her foot. “How do you know for sure?”

Severa held up the lantern they were using. “Usually, only a third of the candle wax melts in a shift. This time almost half of it is gone.”

Lucina shrugged. “At least it’s a nice night. You can see the stars clearly.”

“Yes, yes, the stars are very nice.” Severa probably rolled her eyes. Lucina couldn’t tell for sure in the near-darkness, but it seemed like something she would do.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Lucina noticed Severa looking up at the sky and smiled to herself.

“Oh, look, I think our relief is here,” Severa said. “Finally.”

Lucina followed Severa’s gaze to where Laurent and Gerome were approaching.

“You’re correct. We’re here to take your shift.” Laurent tactfully ignored Severa’s annoyed tone. He noticed Lucina and raised his eyebrows. “I thought Kjelle was on guard duty tonight?”

“She wasn’t feeling well, so I offered to go for her.”

Laurent nodded. “Ever our hardworking princess. Remember to get some sleep occasionally.”

Lucina’s face fell, but she covered it up quickly with a smile. “Of course. Goodnight, you two.”

“Goodnight.” Laurent and Gerome echoed.

Lucina turned and walked away, followed quickly by Severa.

“…Is that what’s bothering you?” Severa asked. “You’re not getting enough sleep?”

“No, no, I’m fine. We could all probably use more sleep, but I’m fine.”

“Then…” Severa frowned. “Is it that you’re a princess?”

Lucina’s step faltered and her breath caught. “I…yes. In a way, I suppose that is what’s been bothering me.”

“Lucina, you know that I don’t see you any differently just because you’re royalty. We all…”

“No. It’s not that.” Lucina stopped walking completely.

“Oh.” Severa frowned again. “What is it then?”

Lucina took a deep breath. “I… ugh. I want to tell you, but… How do I even explain this?” She twisted and untwisted her fingers and stared at the ground.

“Is this going to be a long conversation?”

“Possibly.”

Severa glanced surreptitiously over her shoulder. “…Do you want to come back to my tent? It’s not too far.”

Lucina nodded. “That would be nice.”

“Well, come on then.” Severa stalked off, Lucina following her this time.

Once they had gotten settled on the floor of Severa’s tent, Severa looked at Lucina expectantly.

Lucina grimaced. “I really hate talking about myself.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You’re going to think this is weird.”

“Try me. Also, you’re stalling.”

“Mm.” Lucina was silent for a moment, staring at her hands. When she started talking again it was almost a whisper. “When I went by the name Marth and was wearing the mask… everyone thought I was a boy. It didn’t always feel quite right, but… sometimes… it felt so right it scared me.

“I don’t… hate being a girl. I really don’t. It’s just… I kind of want to be a boy too. I feel like both and neither at the same time…” Lucina trailed off and put her head in her hands. “I’m not making any sense. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’re making sense.” Severa hurriedly reassured. “Before we went back in time you seemed pretty excited about being Marth, so this isn’t too surprising…”

“I feel like a freak.”

“Lucina! You are not a freak. This is part of who you are. You shouldn’t be ashamed of it. When have you cared what anybody else thought?”

“I really wish I didn’t care, but I do. Way too much.”

“Yes. I know what you mean all too well.” Severa sighed. “Well, here’s what I think. You’re beautiful, no matter what. I don’t care whether you’re a boy or a girl or something else. I just want you to be happy and comfortable with yourself.”

Lucina sniffed.

Severa shifted closer and put her hand on Lucina’s shoulder. “Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?”

Lucina looked up and smiled weakly, face tear-streaked. “You already have. Made me feel better, that is. Telling somebody is such a relief.”

“I’m glad.” Severa gently wiped away the tears on Lucina’s right cheek, then the left. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“I don’t know. I’m… not really sure what I want.”

“Mm. Do you want me to call you Marth sometimes?”

Lucina was quiet for a moment. “Perhaps, yes. I definitely don’t want to give up Lucina completely. I’ve gotten kind of attached to it, despite it being distinctly feminine.”

“You could be Prince Lucina, if you wanted.”

“…Yes, I kind of like the sound of that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …This is quite possibly the most self-indulgent thing I have ever written.


	4. Public Facilities Are Annoyingly Gendered

Marth sighed and ran a hand down his bound chest. It was quite unfortunate when the days when he was definitely feeling male and the days when the army finally had an opportunity to take a proper bath coincided.

The army had stopped by a town that had a bathhouse, and had split into two groups so that the campsite was never abandoned. The first group had gone and returned, and the second had left several minutes ago. Marth had hung back at the campsite, making feeble excuses and saying he would come later. He seriously considered not going at all. He wasn’t that dirty, right? He hesitantly sniffed his armpit and recoiled. Right then. Never mind.

* * *

Marth quietly slipped into the bathhouse and looked around hopefully. There was the sign for the women’s section. And there was the men’s. There appeared to be no gender neutral alternative, or “mixed bath” as it was apparently called. Marth cursed under his breath, not surprised but still disappointed.

The attendant sitting at a desk in-between the sections still hadn’t noticed him. In a few moments, she probably would and it would be awkward if Marth was still standing there like an idiot. He resisted the urge to swear again. It would certainly be easier to push down his feelings and use the women’s bath…

The attendant looked up. Marth walked toward her, smiling pleasantly and doing his best to act like he wasn’t having a crisis. “I’m with the large group that’s using the bathhouse right now.”

The attendant nodded. “Go ahead, sir.”

Well. That settled it. Marth nodded politely and pushed past the curtain to the men’s section.

The changing room was deserted, thankfully. Marth undressed quickly and wrapped one towel around his waist and another over his shoulders and chest. He could hear his friends in the baths through the sliding door. Or, more precisely, he could hear some splashing and Owain and Laurent arguing loudly about something or other. He wasn’t planning on joining his friends, though. He was just going to wash at the showers and leave.

Marth had his hand on the sliding door when he had a terrible thought. _What if the showers were clearly visible from the tubs?_   He groaned and massaged his temples forcefully. He had not thought this through at all, had he?

Marth leaned against the wall and exhaled. He reasoned that if that was the case, or if for any other reason this wasn’t going to work out, he would just leave and pretend none of this had happened. It was not a plan that would make his mother, the army’s tactician, proud, but it was all he had.

Marth slid open the door and peeked inside. The large bathtub containing his friends was at the end of the narrow room, and the showers were in a deep alcove on the left, most of them relatively hidden. Naga appeared to be on his side today.

He didn’t spend all that long washing. After all, it was his anxiety versus how amazing the water felt, and anxiety is a force to be reckoned with.

His plan seemed to be working out fine. That is, until Inigo, who was still in the bath with the others, saw him walking out. “Hey, Morgan! Why are you leaving so soon?”

Marth froze. Inigo seemed to have mistaken him for his brother. That was fine, although he wasn’t all that confident in his ability to imitate Morgan’s voice.

Morgan called out indignantly from the bath. “I’m right here!”

…Right. Time to leave. Marth gripped the towel around his shoulders like a lifeline and walked away quickly without saying anything.

* * *

“Hello, Lucina. Might I have a word?” Laurent asked.

The training dummy Lucina had been abusing for the last hour breathed a sigh of relief as Lucina lowered their sword and turned to face Laurent. “Of course. Is there a problem?”

Laurent opened and closed his mouth and frowned. “There… was someone who looked a lot like Morgan, but definitely wasn’t, at the men’s bathhouse the other day.”

Lucina paled visibly. Oh no. They thought for sure they’d gotten away with it.

Laurent continued. “I believe I know the identity of this person, and I’m not criticizing. In fact, I would be interested to know their motives if they’re willing to share, and if there is anything that I can do to help.”

Lucina stared at Laurent, dumbfounded. That was not the reaction they’d been expecting. But then again, what had they been expecting? Laurent and all the others were their friends, and had always been supportive.

“I…” Lucina struggled not to tear up. “Thank you, Laurent. That means a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s just say I’m not a huge fan of public restrooms and locker rooms, nevermind how theoretically uncomfortable I’d be with Japanese bathhouses…


End file.
